Insurance Journal

Worst Is Over: Most of Casualty Reserve Hole May Be Filled, Analyst Says

Predictions that the property/casualty insurance industry is in the midst of repeating the type of loss reserving cycle that accompanied the hard market of the beginning year of this century may be overblown, according to an analyst. In fact, William...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Ageas Says It Won’t Make Third Offer for Direct Line Insurance

Ageas said it will halt its pursuit of UK insurer Direct Line Insurance Group Plc after two takeover proposals were rejected this year. The Belgian insurer had put forth an offer valuing Direct Line at about £3.2 billion ($4.1 billion) …

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Hong Kong Reports Its Highest March Temperature in 140 Years

Hong Kong’s temperature on Sunday reached the highest recorded level during the month of March in 140 years, according to the city’s observatory. The maximum temperature measured at the Observatory was 31.5C (88.7F) — the highest reported...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

North Korean Hackers Stalk Crypto Startups Scrimping on Security

It’s every cryptocurrency project’s nightmare: Well-resourced hackers — perhaps backed by a rogue state like North Korea — strike out of nowhere, dismantling cyber defenses and making off with millions of dollars in customer funds. Many c...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Texas School Bus With Over 40 Pre-K students Struck by Cement Truck, Killing 2

BASTROP, Texas (AP) — A cement truck veered into a school bus carrying more than 40 pre-K students returning from a field trip to a Texas zoo Friday, killing a boy on the bus and a man in another vehicle, …

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Texas School Bus With Over 40 Pre-K Students Struck by Cement Truck, Killing 2

BASTROP, Texas (AP) — A cement truck veered into a school bus carrying more than 40 pre-K students returning from a field trip to a Texas zoo Friday, killing a boy on the bus and a man in another vehicle, …

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

People Moves: Hiscox Appoints Hellrung as US COO

Hiscox, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, named Leigh Hellrung as chief operating officer in the U.S. Hellrung will serve on the Hiscox U.S. leadership team. Bringing over 20 years of industry experience to the role, Hellrung will lead all aspects...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

NHTSA: Chrysler to Recall About 286,000 Vehicles Over Airbag Inflator Issue

Chrysler is recalling nearly 286,000 vehicles in the United States over a manufacturing defect that might cause the side curtain airbag inflators to rupture, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Friday. The right and lef...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

FAA Weighs Curbing New Routes for United Following Mishaps

US aviation authorities are considering drastic measures to curb growth at United Airlines Holdings Inc., including preventing the carrier from adding new routes, following a series of safety incidents. The Federal Aviation Administration has discuss...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

UnitedHealth Unit Will Start Processing $14B Medical Claims Backlog After Hack

UnitedHealth Group said on Friday its Change Healthcare unit will start to process the medical claims backlog of more than $14 billion as it resumes some software services disrupted by a cyberattack last month. The company has been scrambling to &#82...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Louisiana Debates Civil Liability Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Three years after COVID-19 vaccines became widely available in the United States, Louisiana continues to debate policies related to inoculation mandates, including civil labilities if a work place mandates vaccines or not and...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Alabama Sales Rep and Clinic Owner Sentenced in $28M Billing Fraud Scheme

A medical sales representative and a pain clinic owner in Alabama have been sentenced to years in prison for their roles in a long-running, $28 million fraud scheme that involved a compounding pharmacy, unneeded nerve tests and a former workers&#8217...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Three Weeks Before Trial, Former Georgia Commissioner Oxendine Pleads Guilty

ATLANTA (AP) — A former Georgia insurance commissioner who made a failed Republican run for governor has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud. John W. Oxendine of Johns Creek entered the guilty plea Friday in federal court …

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Investigation Underway Into Cause of Pennsylvania House Fire That Killed Five

Investigators were searching Thursday for the cause of a fire that tore through a house in the Pittsburgh suburbs, killing a man and four children and spreading to another house before the flames were extinguished. Firefighters arrived quickly but fo...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

People Moves: Aspire in California Names Daniel Director of Underwriting

Aspire General Insurance named Tracy Daniel director of underwriting. Daniel has more than 26 years of extensive leadership experience in the underwriting field. Most recently, she was the underwriting associate operations manager for car at Lemonade...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

10 Years After Washington Landslide, Climate Change Is Increasing The Danger

After the mountainside collapsed, obliterating a neighborhood and 43 lives in the worst landslide disaster in U.S. history in Washington, Jessica Pzsonka made a promise -– to herself, to her bereft parents and to her late sister, who was buried &#823...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

10 Years After Washington Landslide, Climate Change is Increasing The Danger

After the mountainside collapsed, obliterating a neighborhood and 43 lives in the worst landslide disaster in U.S. history in Washington, Jessica Pzsonka made a promise -– to herself, to her bereft parents and to her late sister, who was buried &#823...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Police Identify Five Killed in Private Jet Crash Near Rural Airport

Virginia State Police have identified the five people who were killed when a small private jet crashed as it approached a rural airport earlier this month. The twin-engine IAI Astra 1125 left Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 10 and was …

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Virginia Still Battling Shenandoah Valley Wildfires

Crews who have been battling still-burning wildfires in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley this week have gotten an assist from rain and from the state government, which has deployed new resources to the area, officials said Saturday. “Without...

Posted: Mar 24, 2024

Alabama Bill Would let Alfa Federation, not Insurer, Sell Health Plans. BCBS is Fighting it.

Alfa, one of the largest property-casualty insurers in Alabama, is clarifying that it is not planning to move into the health insurance business: A hotly debated bill in the state Legislature would allow Alfa’s affiliated farmers federation to...

Posted: Mar 22, 2024

Alabama Bill Would let Alfa Federation, Not Insurer, Sell Health Plans. BCBS is Fighting it.

Alfa, one of the largest property-casualty insurers in Alabama, is clarifying that it is not planning to move into the health insurance business: A hotly debated bill in the state Legislature would allow Alfa’s affiliated farmers federation to...

Posted: Mar 22, 2024

Alabama Bill Would Let Alfa Federation, Not Insurer, Sell Health Plans. BCBS Opposes

Alfa, one of the largest property-casualty insurers in Alabama, is clarifying that it is not planning to move into the health insurance business: A hotly debated bill in the state Legislature would allow Alfa’s affiliated farmers federation to...

Posted: Mar 22, 2024

Minnesota Homeowners Report Surge in Insurance Complaints

Minnesota homeowners insurance complaints rose 108% from 2020 to 2023, with of those complaints from homeowners concerned their claims were denied or they faced high out-of-pocket costs after damage from wind and hail. The Minnesota Department of Com...

Posted: Mar 22, 2024

Oklahoma Contractor Faces $103K in Fines After Fatal Workplace Asphyxiation

An Oklahoma City employer’s failure to follow federal safety procedures left a 30-year-old worker suffering fatal asphyxiation as they tried to make repairs inside a water tank at a McClain County wellsite in September 2023, a federal investiga...

Posted: Mar 22, 2024

Chubb: Middle Market Companies Post Record Gains

Middle-market companies posted record economic growth and revenue gains in the second half of 2023, according to a recent indicator survey by Chubb. A record 77% of companies reported performance improvement in the last six months of 2023 — the &#823...

Posted: Mar 22, 2024